Stelis acuifera Lindl. 1859 SECTION Stelis

Drawing by Carl Luer

LATE EARLIER

Common Name or Meaning The Sharp Point Carrying Stelis [refers erroneously to the lip, Lindley 1858 stated "A subulate process rising from the hollow of the lip is very remarkable" However this feature is not present on the lip of the type specimen Luer 2009]

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in Cundinamarca departemnt of Colombia and Tungurahua, Carchi and Sucumbios provinces of Ecuador at elevations of 2400 to 3150 meters as a medium sized, cold growing, repent epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls with a loose tubular sheath near the middle and 2 others at the base and carrying a single, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, obtuse, narrowly cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late summer and earlier fall on an erect, peduncle 2 to 8" [5 to 20 cm] long, arising through a spathe .4 to .6" [1 to 1.5 cm] long, from an annulus below the the apex of the ramicaul, rachis 12 to 14" [30 to 35 cm] long, congested, distichous, simultaneously several, progressively many flowered inflorecence with oblique, acute, longer than the pedicel floral bract and carrying flowers with glabrous red-purple externally, dull greyish white to silver white, cellular glandular internally sepals, thick, yellow petals and a thick, yellow lip.

The flowers are variable in both color and size, some collections have flowers almost twice the size. Characterized by the thick, repent rhizome with tall, stout ramicauls with large elliptical leaves. Several to many flowers are produced simultanerously as anthesis ascends in a lengthening raceme. The sepals are broadly ovate, obtuse and 5, seven or rarely nine veined. The petals are trnsverse with a thick, rounded margin and the lip is subquadrate with a broadly rounded apex and concave anteriorly." Luer 2002

Synonyms Stelis uxoria Luer & Hirtz 2002

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Fol. Orchid. 8: 12 Lindley 1859;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXIV A First Century of Stelis of Ecuador 88: 62 Luer 2002 as S uxoria drawing fide;

Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 as S uxoria drawing fide;

Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing good;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXX Lepanthes of Jamaica Stelis if Ecuador part IV Luer 2009 ;

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------